Tap and rod assembly



E m R E. F.

TAP AND ROD ASSEMBLY Filed Dec. 26, 1953 #7MB/7 m? Wwf/mit@ STATES PATENT FFIE TAP AND ROD ASSEMBLY Frank E. Bice, Detroit, Mich., assigner to American Tap Bush'Ccmpany, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application December 26, 1933, Serial No. 703,894

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to tap and rod assembly and is herein illustrated as an assembly for tapping beer barrels and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a tap and rod assembly which is simple in construction, efficient in use, and economical to manufacture,

Another object of the invention is to provide a i tap wherein a single washer is utilized to seal the .connection between the tap and a bush and also secure the pump rod in the tap.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pump rod having separate passages for air and p the beer, together with air supply and beer dis- 'charge means, and also means affording communication between said passages and different points within a tapped barrel.

Another and still further object o-f the invention is to provide a tap and rod assembly wherein air is admitted to a tapped barrel through the pump rod structure instead of through the tap.

A still further ob-ject of the invention is to provide a tap and rod assembly wherein a duct for air admission is provided to enable use of a single washer for sealing the joint between the tap and a bush and also for retaining the pump rod in place in the tap.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a tap utilizing a single washer for sealing the joint between the tap and a bush and also for retaining a pump rod in place in the tap, together with a follower engageable with said washer for compressing it in more than one direction.

Generally speaking, the invention contemplates a pump rod structure having passages,

which are separate, one of which constituting an A air passage and the other a liquid passage, together with means 'for supplying air to the air passage and discharging liquid from the liquid passage, and means aiording communication between the passages and the interior of a barrel at different points in the barrel.

The invention further contemplates a tap so constructed as to enable use of a single washer for sealing the joint between a tap and a bush and also for locking the pump rod in the tap and wherein provision is made to compress the washer in a plurality of directions, for securing the results just mentioned.

The above, other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description, accompanying drawing and appended claim.

The accompanying drawing illustrates various aspects of the present invention, and the views thereof are as follows:

Figure 1 is a central sectional view through a Y pump rod structure and tap, constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention, and showing the relationship of the parts as the same appear prior to the tightening of the nut in the thimble.

Figure 2 is a top plan View of the thimble as illustrated in Figure 1.

The drawing will now be explained.

A bush, indicated generally at E, preferably of the well-known Peerless type, is secured in a barrel 2 in conventional manner. This bush is provided with the usual neck 3 which is fashioned with outstanding iianges 4 at the upper end of the neck for cooperating with a tap for securing the tap to the bush in the usual manner.

The tap of the illustrated fo-rm of the invention includes a thimble 5 having formed at one end lugs 6 at the extremities of which are inturned feet 'I for underlying the flanges 4 of the neck of the bush. The thimble is provided with an annular ange 8 for overlying the joint between the thimble and the bush to steady the pump rod structure supported by the tap. The upper end 9 of the thimble is open, and interiorly threaded to receive a nut Ill. The nut I is shown as exteriorly threaded to engage the open end 9 of the thimble. The nut is preferably provided with wings II for ease in use.

Secured to the underface of the nut I0 is a follower I2, mounted on the nut so as to have relative rotation with respect thereto, and with its washer engaging face inclined at I 3.

Within the thimble is a single sealing washer t4 which is comp-ressible by the nut, under certain conditions, and which washer serves two purposes: (1) to seal the joint between the tap and the bush, and (2) to clamp the pump rod securely in position in the tap.

The outer face of the neck 3 of the bush is convex so that when the nut It is screwed home the inclined face I3 of' the follower will compress the washer I4 in more than one direction.

The illustrated form of pump rod structure contemplates an outer pipe I5 and an inner pipe I6, which pipes are separated to provide a space I'I between them.

A header I8, carries the pipes, and is provided with a passage I9 communicating with the inte-i rior of the inner pipe I6 and in which passage is interposed a valve 20. The header also is provided with a nipple 2I to which may be connected an air supply line from any means for compressing air. The header is provided with a passage 22 affording air communication with the space I1 between the pipes I5 and I6.

The lower end of the outer pipe I5 is closed, as by a plug 23, which serves as a stop when the rod is inserted in a barrel, with the plug 23 resting on the bottom of the barrel. Adjacent the plug 23 the outer pipe I 5 is apertured at 24 to allow fluid admission into the pipe. The outer pipe I5 is a-lso apertured at 25, in spaced relation to the apertures 24, to aiford communication between the air space I1 and the interior of the barrel.

' The apertures 25 are so fashioned in the pipe I5 as to lie adjacent the underside of the top of a tapped barrel while the apertures 24 are adjacent the bottom.

The air line connected to the nipple may, if desired, be provided with a valve for controlling air admission to the tapped barrel.

The header I8 is provided with a threaded end 26 for receiving a pipe connection to cooling coils for cooling the beer discharged from the barrel.

The arrangement of the parts appearing in Figure 1 is as the same appear after the rod structure has been inserted through the nut Il) and the tap and into the barrel prior to the time that the nut has been screwed home to compress the washer I4. As the nut I is screwed home, the beveled face I3 of the follower I2 thereof will Ycompress the washer against the convex end of the neck 3 of the bush to seal the joint between the tap and the bush and at the same time will compress the washer radially against and toward the pump rod structure to secure the pump structure in the tap and prevent accidental displacement of the rod structure from the barrel because of gas pressure in the barrel.

While the space I7 has herein been described as an air space and the inner pipe I6 described as the beer discharge passage, yet it is to be understood that these may be interchanged, if desired, in which event the air connection and the liquid discharge connection would also be interchanged,

as also would be the means affording communication between these passages and the interior of the tapped barrel.

It will be observed that the present invention provides a tap whereby a single washer may be utilized for sealing the joint between the tap and a bush and at the same time clamping the pump rod in position in the tap.

It will also be observed that the pump rod structure of the present invention provides a separate and distinct duct or passageway for the compressed air thereby enabling the use of a single washer for sealing the joint and clamping the rod in position.

In operation, compressed air is admitted to the interior of the barrel through the space IT, entering the barrel through the apertures 25, to thus force the beer or other liquid content of the barrel upwardly through the pipe I6, then outwardly, whenever the valve 20 is opened.

The invention has been described herein or more less precisely as to details, yet it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereby, as changes may be made in the arrangement and proportion of parts, and equivalents may be substituted without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is claimed as follows:

A tap for a beer barrel including a thmble adapted for connection to a tap bush, said thimble having one end formed with lugs for engaging the tap bush flanges and at its other end open and interiorly threaded to receive a nut, a nut engageable within the threaded end of said thimble, a single sealing washer carried by and within said thimble between the nut and the lugs for seating against the tap bush neck to seal it and to compressibly clamp a pump rod in said tap when said nut is screwed home, said nut having a washer engaging part which is rotatable relatively to the nut and shaped to compress the washer against the rod as the nut is moved to compress the washer against the tap bush neck.

FRANK E. RICE. 

